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Hello, Internet land!


I’m Vivian, TOMS product development intern, reflecting on these past few months as part of the TOMS family. As the cheesy saying goes, “All good things must come to an end,” and because our time here will soon be a memory, I’ve been thinking about how dynamic this semester has been for each of us, and how we’ll be filling our next 2 weeks with wrap-ups of the rewarding and interesting projects we’ve worked on since January.



For me, it’s been incredible getting to know each person in my department. Working with people who view the team as a family unit or as good, dependable friends, creates such a productive and happy environment. That alone has helped me reap the full benefits of interning at TOMS, but I’ve run into countless other points of learning outside of our team.



Here are some tips I tried to follow throughout the intern experience, and that I’m excited to pass along to you, whether interning at TOMS or collaborating as part of a team elsewhere:




• Don’t be afraid to ask questions or express your interest in certain projects that seem to be a good fit for you.

• My best lesson from this: Don’t quiet the ideas in your head just because of how things have been done in the past. Time flies, and the present is always the best time to express your passions. I brought up a texture and fabric idea for the Spring 2013 shoe collection, and my idea was incorporated into a design!

• Block out time to meet new people.

• My best lesson from this: Don’t just network; connect in real life. So many members of the TOMS family genuinely advise to take work that is meaningful, and when you meet good people that way, cultivate relationships with those that inspire you. It will land you in a great spot in your career.

• Keep organized, whether on to-do lists or sticky notes. Keep notes on all you’re taking in; then look through those notes to stay on-task and continuously thinking.

• My best lesson from this: So many aspects of this movement (and most projects) relate to one another. Writing down the moving parts helps me to connect the dots and stay educated on how they fit together.

• Smile and be gracious. Sometimes we get caught up in the day-to-day and forget to step back to realize how lucky we are to each play a unique part in the One for One movement.

• My best lesson from this: Carpe Diem!

Since 1950, TOMS Giving Partner World Vision has been serving children in need throughout the world. They work in almost 100 countries and distribute new TOMS Shoes in more than 15. Through diverse and integrative programming, the organization is dedicated to supporting children, families and communities become self-sustainable. World Vision invests in communities worldwide to help them reach their full potential and we are proud to help maintain that commitment in our work alongside them.





When World Vision works in a community, they partner with local leadership to assess what interventions most benefit that community. They build trust and develop a plan for the community’s self-sustenance, and once that plan is in place, the physical work begins. Depending on the unique needs of the area, the World Vision team and community members work together to find and train teachers; build schools; drill wells; provide agricultural training; offer small business support and loans; identify sustainable sources of income; teach nutrition courses and provide medical resources, training and care.

As a TOMS Shoe Giving Partner, World Vision has an additional resource to help meet the needs of the communities. With your support, TOMS provides World Vision with new shoes in the quantities and sizes they need within the communities they serve, at the time those communities can best use them. This allows World Vision to incorporate new shoes into their programming based on what is best for children, on a community-by-community basis. As children outgrow their shoes, TOMS and World Vision can replace them until a community no longer has a need.


  


When a TOMS customer buys a pair of shoes, the Giving Pair is not simply dropped off to a child in need. It’s thanks to our amazing Giving Partners like World Vision that shoes are distributed to children by the Giving Partner staff and local volunteers as part of the holistic development programs. In the areas where we partner with World Vision, TOMS Shoes are leveraged and integrated into the organization’s health and education goals. As part of the whole, shoes become a valuable and strategic resource in supporting children’s health and well-being.

Learn more about TOMS Giving Partner World Vision at their website www.worldvision.org or by reading more about them on the TOMS blog.

Disclaimer from the Social Media team: This week was supposed to be Matt’s turn to take the reigns of this here Intern blog, but when Josh began to chime in to speak to their combined experiences, we were less than shocked. These two guys are practically each other’s sidekicks, both on the Retail Marketing team, both goofing around when they’re not hard at work, and both the “Game Masters” at the TOMS birthday celebration at HQ last week, mustaches, et all (see below). Cute, right? So, we’re letting them both contribute to the Intern blog this week…with Josh having a go today, and Matt sealing the deal tomorrow. Check back for the full story from two interns who are pumped to share…



“The Places You’ll Go” by Josh
This is Josh, Action Sports Marketing Intern, checking in fresh out of the water with a little update into the not-so-normal life of a TOMS Intern. If you stop by HQ, you might find me building a quarter pipe or sitting at my desk thinking of best way how to incorporate something outrageous into a TOMS event. If you’ve seen the TOMS van cruising down the 405 recently, there is a decent chance I’m behind the wheel heading to the next event.

Coming into TOMS, I felt like a lost turtle in the deep blue sea. It didn’t take long to be welcomed into the TOMS family and to hit the ground running with the Sales department. With one tradeshow left for the year, I realized I’d be up for the challenge of helping build two booths at Project Las Vegas. With a long weekend of work, we awoke at the crack of dawn to get the TOMS booths ready for the world to see when the doors opened at 9 a.m. From start to finish, the event was awesome; it’s such a powerful experience to get to talk about One for One with people who don’t know what it’s it all about, and it’s amazing to meet others who are equally as passionate about TOMS as we are.





Fast-forward one month and there I was with a drill in hand, putting the final touches on a quarter pipe at the Berrics Skate Park, an indoor park that’s basically my dream come true. I was there with TOMS for “Skateboarding Gives Back,” a special night of service to the community, featuring tricks by pros and amateurs alike. With my internship in full swing by now I closed out the Berrics event and was back on the freeway with the TOMS van packed again… which brings us to April 7th in San Diego.


 


The next event I helped with was the Style Your Sole with Sun Diego Boardshops. With 14 artist customizing TOMS Shoes, music, fun activities, and shaved ice, I had another “aha” moment as a TOMS Intern. Sometimes I have those, where I can take a step back and realize how lucky I am for this opportunity. It’s hard work, but it’s a blast.

With another great experience in the books, it was finally time for me to get ready for the event I’d been working on throughout all these months, which was this past Saturday in Huntington Beach. It was Cinco de Mayo (TOMS birthday), and once again I was up before the morning rooster crowed. With the sun out and the waves picking up, the TOMS team was there in full force supporting the Great Strides Walk for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. As the day heated up so did the crowd, lining up to check out the TOMS booth. With a variety of activities at the booth, there was fun for everybody over a corn hole contest, live art on a retro fish surfboard, and sock puppet-making for all the little ones. Not only did TOMS have a great opportunity to help spread the One for One movement, but some of the TOMS family were also able to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation by raising money to help find a cure.





Looking back at all the opportunities throughout the internship, none could have been possible without the confidence of the team around me. I could not be happier with the experiences I’ve been given in my past few months at TOMS; and almost more importantly, with the friends and family that I’ve picked up along the way. (Hi, Matt!) Though I had the unique opportunity to go to awesome places and events during the internship, it is the people that I’ve gotten to know that will stand out the most to me. To future interns: “Set your goals high, your dreams higher, and anything is possible.”

Stay salty,
Josh

Jay Catlin is the founder and president of AMS Fulfillment, the place that’s helped ensure that your TOMS orders get to your doorstep since 2008. He recently returned from a TOMS Giving Trip in Honduras with Giving Partner Hogar de Niños Enmanuel. Throughout his journey, Jay sent emails back home to his staff in Southern California relaying some of the highlights of his time in Honduras, and when he returned home, he passed them along to us. It’s been refreshing to hear the unique perspective from outside the walls of HQ and how the One for One movement ties into his daily work.

Day 1:
I joined the TOMS team at the LAX airport for a late night flight to Honduras. Especially after all of the phone calls and emails leading up to our trip, I was excited to meet the people I’d be spending the next week distributing shoes alongside. We’re on the plane now…time to catch some sleep before a busy week of rewarding work.

Day 2:
We landed and were welcomed by TOMS Giving Partner Hogar de Niños Enmanuel, a local orphanage that gives new TOMS to children throughout Honduras. They took us to distribute shoes to a nearby community, where we got to see first-hand how a pair of shoes can make a difference not only for the children, but also their families. The cost of a new pair of shoes can represent [a large portion] of a family's monthly income. Many parents at the distribution showed us their gratitude and thanked us kindly.

This trip is already a powerful one, as I’ve begun to piece together a new understanding of how new shoes help protect children’s feet and help provide an emotional boost to those we receive them. I can more confidently tell you that what we do at AMS plays an important part in the One for One movement and in contributing to children’s lives.





Day 3:
The Hogar de Niños Enmanuel team picked us up bright and early and we drove to visit a rural school to give new TOMS. It was a real eye-opener for me.

We distributed new TOMS and replaced shoes that were in extremely poor condition. We saw some that were two sizes too big with the soles disconnected, and saw rain boots with no socks in 95-degree heat. We saw many kids in flip-flops worn from long-distance walks to school. A few times, it was tough to get kids’ swollen feet into new TOMS Shoes, but we got each and every foot into a new pair.

Day 4:
Today was really special. We visited the Hogar de Niños Enmanuel orphanage. It was incredible to see how they focus on ensuring each child gets a full education in a loving and giving environment. One of the many opportunities Hogar offers children is to grow and produce food on campus, which provides hands-on lessons about commerce and sustainability. The children at the orphanage donate a portion of all the food they produce to local nursing homes and pediatric hospitals in need of support. This adds yet another layer of meaningful learning, teaching the children at Hogar the importance of giving back to the community.

Day 5:
I'm back in the office now after spending five incredible days in Honduras with the TOMS team and Giving Partner Hogar de Niños Enmanuel.

This experience brings new meaning to our work at AMS. Our efforts in making sure shoe orders reach TOMS customers is paralleled by the efforts of TOMS and their Giving Partners in making sure that new shoes reach the feet of children. It is clear how needed and helpful new shoes are for many of the children I met. But the effect goes beyond just the shoes themselves. In conjunction with Giving Partners, TOMS is helping to create a culture of giving, both at home and in communities where TOMS Giving Partners are distributing shoes in other countries. I’m excited to be a part of this.

Thanks to the AMS team for playing a large part in the One for One movement!